Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy released on bail

Pakistani security personnel shift Rimsha Masih, left, a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, to a helicopter after her release from jail in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

By NBC News wire services

Updated at 10:19 p.m.: RAWALPINDI, Pakistan -- A young Christian girl accused of burning pages of the Islam's holy book has been freed from a jail near the capital, a Pakistani jail official said Saturday.

The release came a day after a judge granted her bail.

Mushtaq Awan said the 14-year-old girl left the jail in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near Islamabad, Saturday afternoon.

Rimsha Masih has been held for a little over three weeks after neighbors accused her of violating the country's strict blasphemy law.

In Muslim Pakistan, the mere allegation of causing offence to Islam can mean death. Those accused under an anti-blasphemy law are sometimes lynched by the public even if they are found innocent by the courts.

An Associated Press reporter on the scene said she was taken from the prison in an armored vehicle and whisked to a waiting helicopter while covered with a sheet to protect her identity. Previous news reports have identified her as Rimsha Masih, believed to be 14.

Her lawyers said they will now push to have the case against her thrown out entirely.